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Aging and isolated, rural northern Michigan braces for coronavirus
Alcona County has high rates of diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses and hardly a doctor in sight. Residents here are particularly susceptible to COVID-19, when it hits.
Rural Michigan hospitals say coronavirus crisis may soon force some to close
Many small or rural hospitals were already struggling before COVID-19 forced them to halt the elective procedures that help pay the bills. They are looking largely toward the government to help them recover lost revenue.
Coronavirus shutdown could leave 1 in 4 jobless in northern Michigan
Already gearing for a recession, Michigan faces billions of dollars in lost wages and tens of thousands of job cuts. Using maps and charts, Bridge explains how the impact of the coronavirus shutdown will vary widely by industry and maps.
A Michigan school bus turns food truck during coronavirus school shutdown
In one sparsely populated, vast Northern Michigan school district, school buses are delivering meals to students who otherwise might go hungry amid a three-week shutdown of the state’s schools.
Why Michigan cherry industry lost trade fight with Turkey, and its Plan B
The U.S. International Trade Commission flatly rejected claims that Turkish imports hurt domestic dried tart cherry processors. But Michigan’s cherry industry has a new line of attack against imports.
Rural Michigan to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: What about us?
Beset with common but daunting problems, leaders in rural Michigan implore Michigan’s Democratic governor to create a Cabinet-level post to address their concerns.
Along Michigan-Ohio border, small-town Morenci is transformed by marijuana
Once a frontier town dominated by agriculture, Morenci now finds itself on a new frontier, with the scent of pot wafting through its streets. Despite reluctance from “conservative farm folks,” most support the financial boost the industry has brought.
Michigan county threatens to bulldoze Amish homes in poop dispute
An Amish community, with help from the ACLU, argues that Lenawee County is violating its religious freedom by demanding it stop using outhouses and spreading human waste in fields. Local residents are backing the Amish.
Michigan Republican pushes to deregulate health care. Some hospitals call foul.
A GOP legislative package would remove barriers to small rural hospitals expanding or offering some of the same services as larger hospitals in the region. Both sides say their vision would lower costs.
Old motels, campsites and shelters fill housing void in northwest Michigan
Even middle-income workers are now priced out of safe, affordable homes in Michigan’s resort region. Housing stock has declined for all but the affluent, leaving high school students to fill the construction breach.
This flu season looks deadly. Yet much of Michigan won’t get its shot.
In much of rural Michigan, and in Detroit, fewer than 20 percent of residents get flu shots, even though the vaccine makes it far less likely that people will die or get seriously ill from the virus.
Caro’s psychiatric hospital is saved. Michigan’s mental health crisis persists.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spared a psychiatric hospital whose closure would have devastated the Thumb. But long waiting lists persist statewide, and the hospital’s problems remain.
Tiny school districts to Lansing: Stop acting like ‘middle-schoolers’
Superintendents in some of Michigan’s most isolated districts blame Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Repubican leaders for a budget fight that they say threatens their future and treats students like political pawns.
Rural Michigan sheriffs fear layoffs after Whitmer vetoes road patrol
Law enforcement raises alarms after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer axed $13 million for a state grant program that has helped county sheriffs hire road patrol deputies since 1978.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer targets rural Michigan in bid to sway GOP on budgets
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used her line-item veto power to cut several GOP budget priorities in hopes of restarting negotiations. Rural Michigan is among the hardest hit.
Seeking a cure: The quest to save the Midwest’s rural hospitals
Small rural hospitals are getting squeezed by competition and market forces, forcing painful consolidations, sales and closures. Nationwide, 113 rural hospitals have closed in less than a decade.
Rural hospitals in Michigan face a dilemma: Merge or not?
Rising fiscal challenges force independent Michigan hospitals to seek alliances. They can save the hospitals, but some critics ask at what cost.
In Ironwood, a tiny hospital merged to save itself. Despite fears, it thrived.
For Aspirus Ironwood Hospital, in a sparsely populated former mining region in remote Michigan, merger points to a brighter future.
Good news for Michigan cherry industry. Bad news for Turkey.
A U.S. Commerce Department ruling is likely to result in large duties imposed on Turkish dried cherries, which Michigan growers accuse of being illegally dumped on the U.S. market.
What’s behind the population boom in rural Michigan jails?
A state task force could convene on why rural jails hold a greater share of inmates, with more awaiting trial.